Management and disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) has caught up speed in last two years, after Prime Minister’s office underlined its need under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This initiative is considered as India’s biggest drive ever and is being encouraged and promoted by eminent people with support from all strata of society.

The Egyptian cement industry is the world´s 12th largest and a vital economic force supporting the construction and building sector that accounts for nearly five per cent of Egypt´s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Use of alternate fuels not only saved the cement industry of Egypt but has addressed many other issues as well, like meeting regulatory requirements, saving money and growing public health threat from waste etc. An extract of a report from the International Finance Corporation.

The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has been pushing for the use of alternate fuels and raw materials in cement manufacture. Ashwani Pahuja, Director General, NCB, speaks on the role that the entity plays.

Geocycle India has made investments for implementing co-processing solution for the wastes and expects a reasonable return on investment for the same. However, in the Indian set up, the legislation is politically influenced.

While developed countries have successfully achieved a TSR rate over 40 per cent, in certain cases even up to 80 per cent, in India it is around a meager one per cent; and the target set for 2020 is just 5 per cent. What the industry needs is specific policy and regulatory framework that help enhance the AFR utlisation.

Energy efficient cement plants in the country are comparable to the best cement plants in the world. In India, these modern plants co-exist with older plants with lower capacities and obsolete technologies, and the poor performance of some of the plants brings down the average.